Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having the rank, status, or qualities befitting a prince: Relating to or characteristic of a prince in terms of nobility, dignity, or authority.
   • Magnificent, splendid, or lavish: Characterized by great richness, grandeur, or sumptuousness.
   • Very large or generous (especially of a sum of money): Used to describe an amount that is impressively substantial or generous.

Usage and Examples

• Adjective (befitting a prince):
  • He greeted his guests with a princely courtesy.
  • The ambassador was received with princely honors.
• Adjective (magnificent or lavish):
  • They stayed in a suite of princely apartments.
  • The feast was a princely affair.
• Adjective (large sum of money):
  • The charity received a princely donation.
  • He was paid a princely sum for his consultancy work.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• "Princely state": (Historical) A sovereign state in the Indian subcontinent ruled by a native prince under British colonial influence.
  • The Maharaja ruled over a large princely state.
• Used to emphasize impressive scale or quality, sometimes with a hint of irony when referring to money.
  • After all that work, he was offered the princely reward of ten dollars.

Variants and Related Words

• Prince (n): A male member of a royal family, especially a son of the king or queen.
• Princeliness (n): The quality of being princely; nobility or magnificence.
• Princelike (adj): Resembling or characteristic of a prince. (Less common variant)

Synonyms

• Regal: Of, resembling, or fit for a monarch, especially in being magnificent or dignified.
• Lavish: Sumptuously rich, elaborate, or luxurious.
• Munificent: Larger or more generous than is usual or necessary (especially of a gift or sum of money).
• Magnificent: Extremely beautiful, elaborate, or impressive.

Antonyms

• Paltry: Small or meager.
• Miserly: Of or characteristic of a miser; meanly stingy.
• Humble: Having or showing a modest or low estimate of one's own importance; not grand or luxurious.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• A princely sum: An idiom specifically referring to a very large amount of money.
  • The vintage car was sold for a princely sum at auction.
• Live in princely style: To live in a very luxurious and grand manner.
  • The retired magnate continued to live in princely style.

Adjective

1. having the rank of or befitting a prince
   • a princely bearing
   • princely manner
2. rich and superior in quality
   • a princely sum
   • gilded dining rooms